Give me a diagnosis!

[MrsFionaCharming]

Or rather, give my girlfriend one.

Over the past year, she's been Ill four times, all with the same symptoms: extreme fatigue, sore throat and swollen glands in her neck and a really high fever.

She's had multiple mono/glandular fever tests, plus lots of swabs for strep throat. All have come back negative.

The first time, she was given antibiotics, which didn't seem to help.

The next time she was told it was an allergy and given steroids.

The next time, she took anti histamines and it went away on its own.

However the last time, she was still taking the antihistamines everyday. So she went back to the doctor, who told her that the antihistamines had dried out her salivary glands and caused an nfection. So she was put on antibiotics.

About a week later, she was starting to feel a little better, when she had a severe allergic reaction (huge hives all over her body) to the antibiotics. She stopped taking them, and was prescribed steroids. She got better and the allergic reaction subsided.

However, now she's getting unwell again, but feels that the doctors haven't really helped, and just re-run the same tests every time (at her expense as she lives in the US) and then waiting a week or so for the results before treating her, by which time she's generally starting to feel a little better.

Does anyone have any idea what could cause this? I've not been unwell at all, so we're assuming that it's not contagious, but have no idea what else it could be!

Thank you!

Have they done any routine blood tests on her, like a full/complete blood count?

Thank you so much for replying!

She doesn't remember exactly what tests they did, but they took blood, and she remembers them saying that her white cell count wasn't particularly elevated, which she found strange.

It's the US, it's private, it's litigious. I'd eat far more than my hat if they haven't done routine bloods .

Could all be viral or perennial rhinitis (esp as she clearly has a tendency for allergies). One of those niggly things that is hard to diagnose, but the serious stuff has been ruled out.

arghhh, I pretty much assumed they would have done them but wanted to know the results :)

Have you thought of things like tonsillitis? Maybe tuberculosis, Hep A or B or Mumps (unlikely though)?

Thank you!

I've not heard of that before, but looking it up on the BBC website, it looks like a possibility, though it doesn't mention the swelling or fever.

I assume since she can't remember that the tests were within normal ranges (Considering I'm training to be a BMS, you'd think I'd have thought to ask at the time!)

I'd assume that tonsillitis would have been one of the first things ruled out? But I'll look into the others.

Thank you!

Have things like thyroid and vitamin deficiencies.

I spent about a year thinking I was about to get flu but it was my thyroid.

How is her health otherwise? Does she catch a lot of coughs and colds?

She takes antidepressants but that's it. It's seems to be that she swings from being perfectly fine, to horribly unwell with whatever this thing is.

I'll look into thyroid. She loses a lot of weight each time she's ill, which we put down to her not eating enough, but I suppose that cold be linked?

Has she had a full STI check recently? Including HIV? Sounds drastic but unfortunately I see this a lot.